🥄 5 Tips to Help Try New Foods with Autism | Avery’s Bite Check

Trying new foods can be a big challenge for autistic kids and teens — and honestly, for parents too!

With Avery’s Bite Check, we’re all about making food adventures fun, low-pressure, and worth celebrating — even if it’s just one tiny bite at a time.

Here are 5 tips that have helped us make trying new foods a lot more successful (and a lot less stressful!):

1️⃣ Just One Bite — Not a Full Meal

When trying something new, the goal isn’t to eat a whole plate — it’s just to try one bite.

That’s it! No pressure, no overwhelming piles of food. One bite is a huge win.

It keeps things doable, lessens anxiety, and makes the experience feel safe instead of stressful.

2️⃣ Make Trying New Foods Part of Going Out

We made it a rule: whenever we go out to eat, we have to try one new thing. Even if it’s just bite from my plate.

It could be one new sauce, one new veggie, one new type of seafood.

Building it into the routine — instead of making it a “big deal” — normalizes trying and makes it just another fun part of the adventure.

3️⃣ Get Them Involved (From Grocery Shopping to Gardening to Fishing!)

Trying new foods starts way before it gets on the plate.

Let them help pick out foods at the store, help chop, stir, cook, or even catch the food if you’re on an adventure!

The more ownership they have over the process, the more curious and open they become about tasting the final result.

4️⃣ Make Food Fun!

When we tried crab, it wasn’t about the crab — it was about the experience.

Eating with your hands? Yes.

Getting messy? We got cool bibs.

Using a hammer to crack a crab at a restaurant? YES!

Turning trying new foods into a fun, silly, hands-on experience can lower the pressure and make even the pickiest eaters more willing to give it a shot.

5️⃣ Celebrate the Bites — Not the Results

We’ve gotten plenty of thumbs down over the years.

And that’s okay!

With Avery’s Bite Check, we celebrate the bite — not whether they liked it or finished it.

The win is in the trying.

And here’s the secret: tastes change as they grow. Foods that were a hard no at age 8 might be a favorite at 13. Try to stay positive, low-pressure, and consistent.

Bottom Line:

Trying new foods isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress.

Every bite is a step toward new experiences, more flexibility, and more confidence.

Keep going, keep celebrating, and keep making it fun. You’ve got this! 🥄